NCAA Football FanHouse

Two Quarterbacks for Auburn? Maybe

Ryan Ferguson — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:14:00 EST

The SEC features only a handful of returning quarterbacks. The SEC West is filled with signal caller intrigue as LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss and Mississippi State all have question marks at the position. The Tigers of Auburn will be an interesting tale because not only has Brandon Cox left the building, so too has OC Al Borges.

Wearing the coordinator headset now is Tony Franklin, who covets spreading out the field and athleticism under center. Kodi Burns showed flashes of promise as a backup to Cox in '07, but seemed better when holding onto the ball rather than passing it. Chris Todd, the pure dropback passer, battled for the starting job in spring practice; but a shoulder injury kept him from being able to lock it up.

ESPN's Chris Low asked Franklin how he'd feel about running a 2-quarterback system:

"I've never done it my life. I did it when I first came here [with the now departed Brandon Cox and Burns] because when I looked at what we had to do to win the first game against Clemson, I didn't think either one of them could win it by themselves. I went into the spring hoping somebody would step up and be the best guy by far, but that didn't happen. I then looked at what we did in the bowl game, and I'd say that if we had to start tomorrow, we'd be better off by playing both Kodi and Chris. If it turned out where one pulled away this summer, that would be a good thing. I don't really foresee that happening right now. I foresee both of them playing."

Auburn could be very solid in the west if they're able to get production from these two. In the same interview, Franklin stated that even with Todd's shoulder at 65%, he was the best passer in practice and it "wasn't even close".

Two Quarterbacks for Auburn? Maybe originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:14:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The SEC's Shifting Defensive Sands

Brian Grummell — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:36:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Auburn Football, Texas Football, Big 12, SEC, Texas A&M Football, Iowa State Football

The SEC has long been known as a place where defense rules in college football. Maybe some of that had to do with the league's generally minimal focus on offense for so many years, but we can debate that in another entry. Regardless, its defensive credibility is rock solid.

But in recent years, a steady influx of offensive changes from coaches to schemes has balanced the league and made it all the more dangerous.

But, as noted at the Daily Texan, there's also been a barely noticed flow of defensive coaching talent away from the SEC. Former Auburn star defensive coordinators Gene Chizik and Will Muschamp have made their way to the Big 12. Chizik was Texas' defensive coordinator before being hired as the head coach at Iowa State. Muschamp, meanwhile, is Texas' new D.C.

Elsewhere, former Alabama defensive coordinator Joe Kines is now the D.C. at Texas A&M. Chances are, those three have been adequately replaced, but their departure and the SEC's changing offensive makeup seems to indicate a change from the All D, No O days of SEC past. I doubt wide open offensive football with not much defense like on display in the WAC ever finds a home in the SEC. OK, severely doubt it. But it is interesting to note a modest departure of defensive coaching talent as a steady wave of offensive coaching talent moves in.

Related: I wonder if this perks up the state of defense in the suddenly wide-open, quarterback loaded Big 12?

(Via: Football Rumor Mill)

The SEC's Shifting Defensive Sands originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OK, Stop Selling Your Championship Rings

Brian Grummell — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:08:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Florida State Football, ACC, SEC

This is heartbreaking.

Strolling the internets today I've already found two stories of college football championship rings being up for sale on eBay. Florida State and Auburn fans, you must be proud!

I realize hard times regularly happen to even the best of us, and good athletes sometimes get coddled and lose touch with reality and how to do the little things like manage their money. But this stinks.

Given the imperfection of college football's championship system, and the alignment of stars needed to even come close to a title even at a big time national power, it's almost absurd someone would want to part with an actual piece of evidence that they won a title. These aren't exactly like the "place" medals you get for competing in a basketball or football rec league as a kid, you know?

Especially damning is this happening to Auburn, where they didn't, in fact, win a championship in 2003/2004. But dammit if they didn't put it on t-shirts and a ring. Maybe I should be laughing, instead.

OK, Stop Selling Your Championship Rings originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Four Things Worth Reading: The Return!

Brian Cook — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Auburn Football, Iowa Football, Penn State Football, UCLA Football, Blogs

A regular trip through the college football blogosphere.

1. That list is how long? A list of Penn State malfeasance since 2002 has been kicking around message boards for the past few weeks and may have even spurred ESPN to sic Outside the Lines on the Nits. It has 61(!!!) separate incidents featuring Penn State players and the long arm of the law. Or, sometimes, the long arm of nothing in particular:

53. Joe Paterno - Road Rage - No Charges

As much as we all love the possibly apocryphal JoePa road rage incident, it resulted in no charges and, uh, did not involve a Penn State player.

Many of the other incidents are arrests that resulted in acquittals or college kids getting busted for holding a half-full Natty Lite, which is punishment in an of itself. The list is overstated. But how much?

Run Up The Score breaks it down for you. The general conclusion:

All in all, the Penn State Nittany Lions don't have a widespread, 1988 Miami Hurricanes style criminal gang disguised in plain football uniforms. They have a drinking and fighting problem. Players aren't shooting guns or selling drugs. They're getting loaded and brawling. While I take modest comfort in the fact that the football roster doesn't double as a suspect list from The Wire, there is still a rather obvious behavioral problem within the program.

This is probably because the man they should fear more than any other is kind of ancient and "works from home."2. Bruins Nation is well-known around the college football blogosphere for one thing: blinding hatred of Karl Dorrell. And ridiculous expectations. Bruins Nation is well known around the college football blogosophere for two things: blinding hatred of Karl Dorrell, ridiculous expectations, and... incredibly soft lambswool kid gloves that apply silky lotion to the backside of Rick Neuheisel?

It is apparently so. Sunday Morning Quarterback takes a dryly hilarious look at a certain... difference in outlook now that a coach not universally regarded as incompetent has taken over. It's not in the direction you might imagine.

3. I object, dear sirs. It's one thing when the mainstream media derides all bloggers as mother's-basement living illiterate troglodytes. That's such an old saw now that it communicates more about the lame-stereotype proprietor than actual blogs. But what's with Paul Finebaum exalting the Capstone Report, the most mouth-breathing Alabama blog on the planet, one that accused the 'Bama players of being "without pride" and said they "didn't even want to know how to be champions" after last year's Louisiana-Monroe loss?

Finebaum is a cynical, joyless person who manufactures outrage for money, but exposing the Capstone Report to a wider audience only makes blogs look like sports talk radio, and that's too far. Auburn blog The Joe Cribbs Car Wash says this aggression will not stand, man, and fisks righteously.

Zinger incoming!

The point: if you've ever wondered what the hell kind of people would look at a manatee and come away telling everyone they'd seen a mermaid, the answer is the ancestors of Paul Finebaum.

Pow.

4. Don't mess with Gary Barta, Iowa Athletic Director, if you want to keep all your organs. (Language warning.)

Four Things Worth Reading: The Return! originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #8: Chuck Long Doesn't Win the 1985 Heisman

Mark Hasty — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:44:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Iowa Football, Big 10, Heisman, NCAA FB History

FanHouse is counting down the ten best, ten worst, and ten weirdest moments in the history of Big Ten football.

Look, any other year it would have been a laugher. Chuck Long would have won the Heisman and won it so resoundingly that people would still be talking about his decisive victory. He led the Iowa Hawkeyes to the outright conference title and in so doing became the first Big Ten quarterback with more than 10,000 career passing yards. His numbers from 1985 are just sick--260 of 388 for 3,297 yards and 27 touchdowns.

For crying out loud, so far as anybody can tell, Chuck Long is the only player in NCAA history who played in five bowl games. So where is his Heisman?

It's in the living room of one Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson.

Now, let's be perfectly clear about one thing: Bo Jackson was indeed a very fine football player, probably one of the best I've ever seen. So all you folks in east-central Alabama can put away your shotguns and stop composing that indignant message board post you started the minute you saw this headline. By no means am I suggesting that your beloved running back didn't deserve the trophy. I'm just suggesting that there was somebody out there who deserved it more.

My case is pretty simple. No college football player meant more to his team during the 1985 season than Chuck Long meant to the Iowa Hawkeyes. My argument is simple: Look at what happened the next year. The Hawkeyes, now in the hands of Mark Vlasic, stepped back from a 10-1 regular season to 8-3. And how did Auburn do without their vitally important running back? They stepped up to 9-2 and had a solid victory over Southern Cal in the Citrus Bowl.

See, you're not supposed to mention stuff like this. You're not supposed to bring up anything which points out that Bo Jackson, while unquestionably one of the greatest and most exciting athletes of his era, just might not have been the most valuable player in college football in 1985. It makes people bring up the time he faked out Brian Bosworth so bad Boz's children were probably born wondering who just ran past them. Then they mention that Bo was running so hard he ran right down the tunnel of the stadium.

"That happened in the NFL," you have to say.

So they mention--they always mention--how Bo Jackson was completely unstoppable in the original Tecmo Bowl.

"That was a video game," you have to say.

Then they mention that Bo was also a great baseball player, good enough to play and play well in the major leagues.

"The Heisman is a football award," you have to say.

That makes them mention that Chuck Long was a complete bust in the NFL.

"And how does that make him any different than the typical Heisman winner?" you have to say. (It's best not to bring up that Chuck Long actually scored three more touchdowns in the NFL than Bo Jackson did.)

If you go through both teams' 1985 seasons, game by game, you come to the ineluctable conclusion that, while Bo Jackson may have been much more fun to watch, Chuck Long put the Hawkeyes on his back and carried them. When they needed a clutch drive, he delivered. When they needed to sell a trick play, he delivered. He was, quite simply, the most valuable player in college football in 1985.

That's when their eyes light up. "Aha! The Heisman does not go to the most valuable player in college football--it goes to the most outstanding player in college football! That was Bo! In your face, Hawk Boy!"

So there you have it. In the final analysis, it comes down to grammar. I am not convinced by grammar. That trophy should have been Chuck Long's, and you'll never convince me otherwise.

Worst Moments in Big Ten Football History #8: Chuck Long Doesn't Win the 1985 Heisman originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tommy Tuberville Doesn't Think Very Highly of Ohio State

Adam Jacobi — Fri, 30 May 2008 17:53:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Ohio State Football, Big 10, SEC, NCAA FB Coaching

As boring as we fans find the offseason, imagine what hell it wreaks on a coach. Nine months of praying all your kids are going to class (they aren't), that 6'5" quarterback who runs a 4.6 will commit (he won't), and that the offensive line can get its act together (it can't).

Luckily, Auburn's frontman Tommy Tuberville has figured out a way to inject some life into the offseason: brutal potshots at rival conferences!

In advocating a playoff, Tuberville pointed to Ohio State losing by a wide margin in consecutive national championship games by SEC teams.
"Ohio State would have finished fifth in our league and they're ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll," Tuberville said.

Outrageous! Scandalous! Intellectually dishonest! We move that all SEC programs should reject and denounce Mr. Tuberville's remarks, as there's no way there's only four SEC teams better than the Buckeyes.

Fifth in the SEC. You must be crazy, Tuberville.

Tommy Tuberville Doesn't Think Very Highly of Ohio State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 30 May 2008 17:53:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BCS Chooses Money Over Athletes. Again.

Pete Holiday — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:35:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, BCS, Bowl Games

Surprising to nobody, the BCS and big-time conferences have once again decided that they like their fat paydays better than they like the indentured servants on whose backs they're getting rich.

At a recent meeting, BCS officials shot down a "plus-one" proposal from SEC Commish Mike Slive. Apparently, the BCS folks "like where [they] are". They like it because the major conferences are making money hand-over-fist, and any move toward a play-off would mean a more even distribution of money.

The playoffs versus bowls argument has been done to death, and despite the overwhelming logic and reason behind moving to a playoff, religion is religion, and the fans of the bowl system continue to insist that the world is flat. When you dispense with all of the strawman arguments, though, what you're left with is a simple fact: the national champion is determined by journalists, coaches' assistants, and computers.

The BCS had a chance to take a step towards fairness to the student athletes who are powering a multi-billion dollar industry (for mere peanuts, comparatively). Instead, they chose their pocketbooks.
On September 4, 2004, the Auburn Tigers took the field to face Louisiana Monroe. They won that game 31-0 and, despite a grueling conference schedule, won every single time they stepped on the field after that, right up to (and including) a 16-13 win over #10 Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. The Auburn players did everything they could do. They beat all comers. In any other sport, if a team wins all of their games, at the end of the season they're crowned champions.

Auburn had to settle for the "Peoples National Championship", a viewers choice award dreamed up by an Auburn fan from Opelika, Alabama, and there's absolutely nothing just about that. Would the Tigers have won a plus-one game? Would they have won a four or eight-team playoff? There's no way to know, but what we do know for sure is that those players were never given the chance. Some voters and some computers decided that they weren't good enough.

To look at a group of student athletes and tell them "I'm sorry, I know you won all of your games, but you just didn't win pretty enough for the media... but enjoy your bachelors degree!", it's just not right. But to the major conferences, that's a small price to pay for the giant checks that come rolling in during Bowl Season.

Unfortunately, after the BCS's recent decision (made from a resort in Hollywood) the end is nowhere in sight.

BCS Chooses Money Over Athletes. Again. originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuscaloosa Police Be Ridin' Dirty

Andy Katzer — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Auburn Football, SEC, NCAA FB Police Blotter, The Word

Of course, "ridin' dirty" has a looser definition in Alabama, where it can encompass having the audacity to put an Auburn license plate on the front of your cruiser while patrolling the Alabama campus, as seen here:

That picture comes from the blog Alabama Gameday, who also links to a thread on the TideSports fourm where a member says he emailed the Tuscaloosa chief of police and "addressed the issue of credibility (and the growing lack thereof), and asked that he check into it and have it removed if possible." The poster says the chief responded by having the tag removed from the unit.

Now, this all might seem kind of petty until you understand the growing unease of an Alabama fan base that has seen more players arrested (8) than wins (7) in the year since Nick Saban took over the program. Tuscaloosa seems to be one of the college towns where arresting a student-athlete is a trophy of sorts for the local po-po; a statement that anybody is fair game, but especially those who make headlines. That may or may not be a fair assessment, but it's a growing concern in places where high-profile students seem to get in more trouble than the average student.

Consider, however: if the Auburn-fan cop with the Tiger plate on his cruiser wasn't targeting Bama players before, he sure could be now that he's been singled out himself.

Tuscaloosa Police Be Ridin' Dirty originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Country's Five Most Disappointing Recruiting Classes

Brian Cook — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:47:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Michigan Football, Michigan State Football, Tennessee Football, Texas Football, NCAA FB Recruiting

Note this is "disappointing," not "worst." We're not looking for the class with the absolute least potential to win D-I games but the schools that really should have done better than they did. So breathe easy, Buffalo. A further note: rankings here are all Rivals'; sometimes Scout disagrees vehemently but that's rare.

Without further adieu:

5. Texas. Perhaps a harsh assessment for Rivals' #14 class, but as the dominant power in the nation's most football-mad state Texas should never, ever have a class outside of the top ten, even when it's kind of small. Texas whiffed on the top three players in-state, all of whom ended up at hated Oklahoma. Striking out on national #1 RB Darrell Scott was the icing on a mildly crap sundae for the Longhorns.

It's not that Texas' class is bad, per se. It's actually pretty good. (You can tell by the #14 above. That's math.) But there's no school in the country with a better built-in advantage when it comes to high school talent, and there's no way Texas should strike out on four of the top five players instate.

Mack Brown will spring his revenge soon, no doubt: rumor is that the next next Vince Young, class of 2009 QB Russell Shepard, is soon to don burnt orange.

4. Michigan State. If there was ever going to be a year when Michigan State re-asserted itself as a threat to Michigan instate or to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and increasingly irritating Cincinnati around the Midwest, this would be it. Michigan suffered a humiliating series of losses and much of the state was operating under the foregone conclusion that Lloyd Carr would be retiring at year's end. When Michigan made a hire, Rich Rodriguez swept out all but one Carr assistant. Mark Dantonio's long association with Jim Tressel was supposed to give him the edge when it came to Ohio recruits.

The result? Detroit wide receiver Fred Smith and no other four-star players. Michigan State struck out on instaters Nick Perry (USC) and Mark Ingram (Alabama) late; Ingram's decision to flee is especially grating since his father was one of Michigan State's best wide receivers. Ohio linebacker Taylor Hill took an official visit to MSU and liked it so much he committed to Michigan on the way home. Hell, linebacker Yourhighness Morgan took a look at MSU and said "thanks, but I'm going to play for Florida."

Florida Atlantic.

MSU ranks 7th in the Big Ten, and this was both their new-coach-bump year and a year in which Michigan changed coaches. Michigan's little brother continues to bow down.

3. Auburn. Tommy Tuberville got smoked up and down by Nick Saban. It's incredible. The top ten recruits in Alabama: 'Bama 7, Auburn 0. The top 20: 'Bama 14, Auburn 2. And this is coming off a six-year run of Auburn dominance in the Iron Bowl!

It gets worse. Of Auburn's top recruits, the two five-stars are JUCO guys and RB Onterrio McCalebb is not expected to qualify. Given Auburn's severe grade attrition a year ago, the NCAA Clearinghouse will probably gun down another four or five guys, leaving the Tigers with very little to combat Nick Saban's tide (ha!) of incoming talent. Tiger fans, savor this six-game win streak. It'll take some doing to keep it going.

One bright spot: they've got a guy named "T'Sharvan."

2. Iowa. No school has been hurt more by the increased competition in Illinois than Iowa. In 2005, Ron Zook was about to get fired at Florida and Tyrone Willingham was golfing his way out of the Notre Dame job, leaving Illinois wide open for a surging Iowa program. The Hawkeyes pulled six kids out of the state, one of them a five-star and four others four stars, en route to the #11 class in the country.

Enter Zook and Weis, exit light for Iowa recruiting. This year Iowa pulled only two Illinois commitments, both of them three-star kids, and the only reason QB John Wienke signed with Iowa was the sudden shift in Michigan's offensive philosophy brought about by the hiring of Rich Rodriguez. Iowa has no four star players among 24 commits and missed on the top two instate prospects. The third? James Ferentz, the son of Kirk Ferentz.

Iowa is languishing at #54 nationally, and if the rapidly aging 2005 class, now in their fourth year at Iowa, doesn't start living up to their hype things are going to start getting mighty crotchety in Iowa.

1. Tennessee. Hey, at least Iowa and Michigan State don't pretend to be national powers. Tennessee does, but they won't be for much longer if they keep up this recruiting pace. The other UT has 18 commitments and only four four-stars, none among the top 100, and one of those is a JUCO who will only provide two years of service. Tennessee struck out on every major target it swung at despite a surprising season that garnered an SEC championship game berth and a New Year's Day bowl victory.

The departures of renowned QB guru David Cutcliffe (for a death job at Duke) and his right-hand man Trooper Taylor contributed to the off year, but the end result at UT (#37) is something no program that considers itself elite should ever see on signing day. Fulmer may have staved off an axing this year; the long term trend is not good.%Gallery-6077%

The Country's Five Most Disappointing Recruiting Classes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pitt Fans Not Exactly Broken Up About Losing Paul Rhoads

Brian Cook — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:55:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Pittsburgh Football, NCAA FB Coaching

Not Paul Rhoads at right. I bet you know who that luxurious mustache belongs to.

Former Pitt defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads is Auburn's new DC, replacing enthusiastic Texas-bound Will Muschamp. This would seem an excellent hire by Auburn after Pitt's defense finished 5th in the nation and shut down West Virginia's spread 'n' shred in the epic upset that kept the Mountaineers out of the national title game.

But Pitt Blather has some kind of sobering numbers:

Year - Def. Ranking - Run Def. - Pass Def.

2007 -- 5th ---- 33d --- 3d
2006 - 87th --- 107th --- 29th
2005 - 31st --- 94th ---- 2nd
2004 -- 73d --- 48th ---- 100th
2003 - 79th --- 87th ---- 54th
2002 - 12th --- 24th ---- 18th
2001 - 7th --- 26th ---- 6th
2000 -- 29th -- 17th ---- 80th

Chas notes further that the defense's slide from good to real bad happened "minute the talent previously recruited started graduating" and follows it up with a wide array of links to previous stories about Rhoads' various failings as a coach -- no sour grapes upon departure these.

But... like, I dunno. That's four good years of seven at a program that's never had much in the way of support or talent until this recent inexplicable Wannalanche of high-profile recruits. As soon as Wannstedt's guys started seeing time with regularity, things bounced back up; Pitt Blather tends to blame Rhoads for the awful run defense when it could more properly be attributed to undersized and largely overlooked true freshman holding down key spots in the Pitt line in 2005 and 2006. At Auburn, Rhoads will not have the same issues.

Pitt Fans Not Exactly Broken Up About Losing Paul Rhoads originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Campbell's Auburn 'National Champion' Ring Spotted on eBay

Pete Holiday — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:05:00 EST

Filed under: Redskins, Auburn Football, SEC

If you're an Auburn fan looking to own a piece of your team's "legacy", you might want to check out eBay. Jason Campbell's ring from the 2004, 13-0 campaign.

Currently the auction has a $6,500 "buy it now" price, but has received almost a dozen other offers.

I'm not sure what's more interesting, that Campbell, a starting quarterback in the NFL, needed to sell his ring or that the ring is emblazoned with the words "NATIONAL CHAMPIONS". The seller must be getting some flack for that (I'm not sure why... after all, they were the "people's champions") as he says in his write up "I will not answer any questions regarding the 2004 'National Championship'. . . . So please spare me the questions and/or comments about USC, who the true champion is, this ring is a fraud, etc."

(Hat Tip: Tide Druid)

Campbell's Auburn 'National Champion' Ring Spotted on eBay originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posse on Bowl-Way: Clemson

Ian Cohen — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Clemson Football, ACC, SEC, Bowl Games

Happy To Be Here?

You know, back when I was in law school, I'd have to endure all kinds of bickering between Clemson and Auburn grads about which one of their fake empires was the better of the two, and I recall someone pithily summing it up thusly: "Clemson IS Auburn...but without the lake." Or the other way around. Whatever. Seems like these two kinda deserve each other in Atlanta. As far as Clemson goes, it has to be a pretty desirable outcome considering they were the Chick Fil-A Bowl gets the second choice in the ACC and the Tigers were #2 in their own division after squandering an opportunity to clinch at home against Boston College. All things told, a typically mixed-bag year for Tommy Bowden's crew, despite the emergence of Cullen Harper as the ACC's most efficient QB and the always dangerous Spiller/Davis combo in the backfield. While the Tigers lacked the total WTF? loss they're usually known for acquiring over the span of a season, their 13-3 loss at Georgia Tech isn't looking any better, to say nothing of Virginia Tech laying 41 on them at home.

Come Here Often?

You'd better believe that the Chick Fil-A Bowl will jump at any chance of getting Clemson, considering their regional proximity and their notoriously vocal and supportive fanbase. Tickets for this game sold out in about 48 hours, nothing unusual for the bowl that only ranks behind the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl in terms of consecutive sellouts (take that Liberty Bowl!). While the last Clemson appearance was in 2004 (a win against Tennessee, a loss for anyone who rightfully despises orange), this will be their 7th appearance at the erstwhile Peach Bowl, tying NC State for the record.
Why Care?

Well, if nothing else, we can see Auburn's offense operate in the wake of Al Borges' resignation. In fact, former Troy assistant Tony Franklin should infuse them with an exciting dose of the spread offense...sometime next spring supposedly. In the meantime, you'll likely see some of Franklin's schemes grafted onto the playbook of QB Brandon Cox, whose passing has often been as repulsive as hometown boy Bradford Cox. Then again, with Auburn, it's all about defense, which will likely keep them in this game even if their offense predictably flounders.

And The Winner Is...

Fact is, Auburn feels like a team that stumbled onto this game despite going 9-4 in the SEC and beating Florida in the Swamp...and really, beating Florida apparently wasn't as hard as it may have looked earlier in the season. But they did manage to play LSU tight as well and their back-to-back losses against South Florida and Miss State have aged better than expected (at least BEFORE the Sun Bowl happened). Okay, to put it another way, Auburn relies on defense to win games, and they usually do so in ugly fashion. Offensive help is on the way, but it might take some time to get the proper QB to implement Franklin's ideas of grandeur, should he have them. On the other hand, Clemson feels like the team that's better prepared to win this game right now. They convert well on third down, have a decent enough defense to load up on the run (because the pass won't beat them), and a solid, well-balanced offense. For the moment, SEC superiority is...slightly devalued.

Clemson 28 Auburn 24

Posse on Bowl-Way: Clemson originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auburn Finds Offensive Coordinator, Tennessee May Be Looking for One

Andy Katzer — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:40:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Tennessee Football, SEC, NCAA FB Coaching

It didn't take long for Tommy Tuberville to find a replacement for departed offensive coordinator Al Borges. On Wednesday night, just a day after Borges handed in his resignation, Auburn announced former Troy Trojans of Troy (they're from Troy) OC Tony Franklin will be calling plays as early as the Chik-Fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve. The one-day turnaround is pretty quick -- unless you live in Bobby Petrino's world, in which it's an eternity. And since I couldn't get through an SEC coaching post without the obligatory Petrino reference, it's worth pointing out that Franklin is Auburn's sixth offensive coordinator since 2000, a list that includes Noel Mazzone, Petrino, Hugh Nall/Steve Emsfinger, and of course Borges.

In his first two years at Auburn, Borges had the Tigers' offense in the top two of nearly every statistical category in the SEC. Over the last two years, however, Auburn has finished in the bottom half of the conference in nearly all of those same categories. Meanwhile, Franklin's Troy team finished in the top 25 nationally in many offensive rankings this year, including total yards and scoring.

Also consider that Troy and Auburn had three common opponents in 2007: Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia (and all on the road). With considerably less talent, Troy put up more yards and more points than Auburn in each one of those games, and had a better yards/play average in all games except against Florida (and it was close -- AU averaged 4.7/play against the Gators, Troy had 4.3).Franklin runs a spread offense, and while those words make fans all warm and tingly, it's even better news for Auburn that they already have a quarterback to run it, freshman Kodi Burns. If Franklin's success at Troy translates to the SEC, forget about Les Miles, Houston Nutt, and Petrino, this could be the biggest offseason coaching move in the conference.

Another big coaching move could be in the works at Tennessee, considering David Cutcliffe interviewed for the Duke job on Wednesday. Now news yet on whether Cutcliffe will be offered that position, or if even he'd take it, so any names mentioned as possible new OCs in Knoxville are way premature. But still, should Cutcliffe go to Durham, expect Borges' name to come up at UT. It's a safe enough hire for Phil Fulmer to feel confident in, and a big enough name to keep many Vol fans happy.

Auburn Finds Offensive Coordinator, Tennessee May Be Looking for One originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 13 Dec 2007 12:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Successful Year For SEC? 3 Teams Finish in Top 10

Ryan Ferguson — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:41:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Florida Football, Georgia Football, LSU Football, Tennessee Football, SEC, BCS, Arkansas Football

The regular season is complete and the SEC has represented itself well on the national scale.

The AP Poll is out: 6 SEC teams finish in the Top 25. Two finish in the Top 5, a third in the Top 10, and Tennessee, Auburn, and Arkansas came in with Top 25 honors.

1. Ohio State (50) 11-1 1,578

2. LSU (11) 11-2 1,519

3. Oklahoma (1) 11-2 1,423

4. Georgia (1) 10-2 1,421

5. Virginia Tech (1) 11-2 1,380

6. USC 10-2 1,346

7. Missouri 11-2 1,195

8. Kansas 11-1 1,164

9. Florida 9-3 1,071

10. Hawaii (1) 12-0 1,050

11. West Virginia 10-2 1,040

12. Arizona State 10-2 939

13. Illinois 9-3 797

14. Boston College 10-3 668

15. Clemson 9-3 614

16. Tennessee 9-4 554

17. Texas 9-3 517

18. Wisconsin 9-3 447

19. Brigham Young 10-2 439

20. Cincinnati 9-3 394

21. Virginia 9-3 344

22. Auburn 8-4 264

23. South Florida 9-3 246

24. Boise State 10-2 221

25. Arkansas 8-4 173

A successful year? It's looking that way; LSU has leapfrogged Georgia, as many expected, back into their familiar stomping grounds in the Top 2. Georgia, meanwhile, will likely be Sugar Bowl-bound should the BCS Rankings shake out the way that the AP Poll did. Most of these Southeastern Conference teams will play in January.

I'd say that's a darn good year for our lil' old southern-fried football conference.

Successful Year For SEC? 3 Teams Finish in Top 10 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auburn's New Contract Offer Is a Joke

Pete Holiday — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:08:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, SEC, NCAA FB Coaching

Auburn offered head coach Tommy Tuberville an extension yesterday which is being billed as a $1.2m raise by folks like Phillip Marshall, who ~~does freelance PR work for Auburn~~ blogs AU Sports at Tracking the Tigers. While technically true, that sort of language is awfully misleading.

Tuberville's contract is set to expire at the end of the 2011 season. Up to this point, he's received a $200,000 automatic increase in salary every year. In his current contract, that automatic increase ends this year -- there would be no automatic bump for 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011. The new contract extends through 2013 and re-institutes that automatic $200,000 raise. In other words, the new contract gives him exactly what he's been getting since the last time Tuberville and Auburn did this little song and dance.

So, yes, if this were just a contract extension, Tuberville would be sitting at $2.6 million for the next 6 seasons. Instead, he's going to get the same raises he's been getting now which, in the aggregate, gives him $2 million more in salary between now and 2011.

The question is: couldn't Auburn do any better? This is a guy who's lost to Alabama twice in his 9 year tenure, took Auburn to an undefeated season, went to 7 bowl games in the last 8 seasons (he won four of them), and won the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Award back in 2004.

Seriously, Auburn? The best you can do is maintaining the status quo? The new contract is a Joke -- there are two other teams in the same division that would pony up more than that right now to get him. Even if he doesn't walk away, Auburn looks awfully ungrateful.

Auburn's New Contract Offer Is a Joke originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuberville Is Auburn's to Lose

Pete Holiday — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:10:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, SEC, NCAA FB Coaching

12 hours after various media outlets started reporting that Tuberville was headed to Arkansas, things really aren't much more clear. That said, if we take a look at the coach-speak (the only language in which everything is simultaneously truth and a lie), it starts to look more and more like Tuberville wants to stay at Auburn, but some of the powers that be don't really think he's worth his asking price.

If we go back to the goings on surrounding the Texas A&M job, we've got a bit more to look at. For starters, it took forever for Tuberville to even address the swirling rumors that he'd be bolting for College Station. When he finally did, he only said that he hadn't been contacted and didn't expect to be. Later he expanded those comments, saying he'd stay at Auburn "as long as they want us."

Well, that settles it, right? In the language of regular people, there's no deal, Coach Tuberville doesn't want one, and it's Auburn or bust, right? As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend..."

The problem that most folks have with understanding coach-speak is that they neglect the inherent ambiguity of the English language. In order for "communication" to occur, an idea has to (1) be formed, (2) converted into words, (3) transmitted, (4) received, and (5) converted from words back to ideas. It's like a miniature game of telephone, and the only transparent steps for the listener are (4) and (5) -- problems in the first three steps will usually go unnoticed.

Take, for example, the "as long as they'll have us" comment.

It could, as many people assumed, mean "I don't want to leave Auburn ever, for any reason." Or, Tuberville could have been saying "I'll stay if they want us, and they can show us that they want us by upgrading their facilities and bumping our pay."

Fast-forward to yesterday. Rumors start swirling about Tuberville bolting for Fayetteville. On his radio show last night, Tuberville went on something of a tirade about facilities and other improvements that, one would guess, the Auburn powers have been dragging their feet on. He said "I am not looking to go anywhere. I am looking to make sure people understand what we need to do to get better." Chew on that for a minute.

So what if he finds out that the Auburn Board and Athletic Department don't "understand what [they] need to do to get better"? What happens then?

Simple: he leaves for a school that does.

Translation: if Auburn sells-out and gives him what he wants, he stays. If they try to have a sausage measuring contest, he'll go somewhere where he won't have to fight so hard for the things he thinks his team needs.

The recent news accounts would suggest to me that Tuberville is starting to hedge his bets. Tommy, himself, has probably not spoken with Arkansas, but if you think his agent, Jimmy Sexton, hasn't been testing the waters, you're delusional. If I had to venture a guess, I bet that Arkansas and Sexton have had a round or two of hypothetical negotiations.

Bottom line: Tuberville is Auburn's to lose, but things are going to have to change if they want to keep him on the Plains, and with some of the big egos involved, don't be surprised if Auburn is the third or fourth SEC west school to be looking for a coach here in a few weeks.

Previously at FanHouse:

Breaking: Media Reports Tuberville to Arkansas

Tuberville Is Auburn's to Lose originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Breaking: Media Reports Tuberville to Arkansas

Pete Holiday — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:28:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, SEC, NCAA FB Rumors, Arkansas Football, NCAA FB Coaching, The Word

KNWA-TV in Fayetteville, Arkansas broke into programming this evening to report that multiple media sources have confirmed that Tommy "Pine Box" Tuberville will be the next coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Now, these are all rumors, and it sounds suspiciously like the Rodriguez to 'Bama rumors that we heard around this time last year, but there have certainly been rumblings, and between Coach Tuberville missing a meeting scheduled to hash out a contract extension to reports that Tuberville had not, in fact, agreed to an extension, things are starting to look grim for the Auburn faithful.

If this comes to pass, there are going to be a lot of FanHouse commenters eating crow. That said, it's not done until he shows up at a press conference in Fayetteville. Video from the KNWA-TV break-in after the jump.

Major hat-tip to Kevin Donahue at Fanblogs for this story and the video.

Updates to follow...

11:08pm: A little scouring turned up some interesting info. Apparently Tuberville is in Arkansas for a hunting trip. Some plane trackers, though, found a plane owned by Arkansas booster David Griffin made a round trip from Tunica, MS to Auburn today. Auburn blogger Jay Coulter is reporting a few different denials, but one of them (that Tuberville hasn't accepted a job yet) could easily be true even if he's agreed in principle to coach there and the second, a second-hand quote from Tuberville's agent is to be expected, one way or the other. There's no surer a way to poison the negotiations with Auburn than to get caught fooling around with Arkansas. That said, expect this to be wild couple of days. The longer it takes for Tuberville to make a statement, the more likely it is that he's actually talking to Arkansas and, therefore, the more likely it is that he'll end up coaching his third SEC West school in 10 years.

Breaking: Media Reports Tuberville to Arkansas originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:28:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auburn Grads Burp the Fight Song and Have Tobacky-Spittin' Grandmas, Says Alabama-based Jeweler

Ryan Ferguson — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:34:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Auburn Football, SEC

File this one under "Not all publicity is good publicity." Here's copy from an ad run by Birmingham-based jeweler Bromberg's:

"Whoever said love conquers all' obviously wasn't in love with a Cow College grad. But even though her grandma was the state tobacky-spittin' champ and she can burp out every bar of War Eagle, your world revolves around her. So turn her thoughts from blue and orange to wedding white with the perfect engagement ring from Bromberg's."

Not surprisingly, this went over like a lead balloon with Auburn fans.

Says one:

"Bromberg's just offended half of the state, and that's not good marketing," added [Auburn grad] Kennedy, who has worked in public relations for over a decade. "They've lost me as a customer."

Mssr. Bromberg, according to the Birmingham News, graduated (gasp!) from the University of Alabama.

But let's give what little credit is due here back to the jeweler. Lost somewhat in the translation is the fact that the company actually ran two ads: one targeting Auburn fans and the other Alabama fans.

The Alabama ad talks being in love with "Tide Pride gal" and "countless stories of rigged officials and national championships won 20 years before she was born."

Equal opportunity offender and all that, but apparently the Auburn ad cut far more deeply:

"If we had known this would be so offensive, we wouldn't have run the ad," Bromberg said. He added: "In retrospect we now know the Auburn ad went probably a lot further than it should have."

Well, hey. Can't beat 'em on the football field? Put out crappy ads slamming their grandmothers and wives. That ought to show 'em!

H/T: Track 'Em Tigers

Auburn Grads Burp the Fight Song and Have Tobacky-Spittin' Grandmas, Says Alabama-based Jeweler originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 29 Nov 2007 10:34:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quentin Groves Says 'Rammer Jammer This'

Andy Katzer — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:40:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Auburn Football, SEC, NCAA FB Video

Anybody who's been in Bryant-Denny Stadium and on the wrong end of the Rammer Jammer cheer should appreciate the following clip. It's the Auburn University Marching Band along with a prominently displayed Quentin Groves giving the Tide a little taste of their own medicine:

Perhaps even more galling to Bama fans is this exchange in the video's comment thread, filled with typical Alabama-Auburn vitriol, and this slightly exaggerated truth:

[Supposed Bama Fan] What do they play when they lose?

[Supposed Auburn fan]: None of the current players, students, band members, etc. would know. They were all in middle school the last time Bama beat Auburn.

Guess it makes getting bitten by a dog just about worth it.

Quentin Groves Says 'Rammer Jammer This' originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auburn Beats Bama, Gets Bitten by Dog

Ryan Ferguson — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:38:00 EST

Filed under: Alabama Football, Auburn Football, SEC

The Tigers' Jerraud Powers had a good game against Bama, but got a little more than he bargained for after breaking up a pass in the Tigers' endzone:

Yowwww! Says Powers:

I was in the back of the end zone celebrating close to the police dog, and I felt something bite me. The policeman was standing there like nothing was happening, and then I saw some blood gushing through my glove.

The crowd was laughing at me and pointing, and then my teammates were laughing at me and that was all they were talking about on the sidelines for the last two minutes of the game. That was embarrassing.

Yeah, the part that kills me is the cop hits Powers with a "Why are you messing with my dog?" look before moving Fido off to a different part of the field.

Don't worry too much about Powers' health, though:

I won't need stitches or anything like that. I think they're trained to not bite down too far under the skin.

They say the Bama-Auburn game is a blood rivalry, but come on... this is getting ridiculous.
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Auburn Beats Bama, Gets Bitten by Dog originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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